It wasn’t just Ye Minjia who thought this, everyone else thought the same thing in that instant.

Especially Wang Sichen. He had never had much tact when speaking, and he blurted out directly, “You didn’t even do anything and you get a free meal?”

No wonder he’s the top student in the grade — even taking advantage of a girl, he can do it so righteously.

But Xiang Di didn’t think that Bai Jiangxin was taking advantage of her at all.

If she could, she wished he would take more advantage of her; and if it were a certain kind of advantage, even better — she would absolutely spread her legs and welcome him to take advantage of her.

If it were someone else, Xiang Di would feel that this person was really pushing their luck — just a small favor, and they already wanted to freeload a meal. But since this person was Bai Jiangxin, the nature of it was completely different.

She only felt that he was way too kind. He had helped her with such a big thing, yet he only asked her to treat him to one meal.

“No problem, I’ll treat you to a meal.” Xiang Di’s tone was crisp. “When are you free?”

Bai Jiangxin: “This week’s break.”

Xiang Di let out an “uh,” “Sunday?”

From her hesitant reply, Bai Jiangxin quickly judged, “You have something on?”

“She does.” Zhou Linxiao answered for Xiang Di. “We already agreed to go eat buffet together this Sunday.”

Bai Jiangxin slightly narrowed his eyes. “The two of you?”

“No, plus me and Liang Qianqian.” Ye Minjia said. “The four of us. Zhou Linxiao originally wanted me to ask you to come along too, but I thought you don’t like joining this kind of gathering, so I didn’t mention it to you.”

Ye Minjia silently added another sentence in his heart.

Mm, doesn’t like joining gatherings, but is willing to eat alone with a certain someone.

If there’s nothing fishy between you two, I’ll chop my head off and give it to Liang Qianqian to sit on as a stool.

Although she really wanted to eat with Bai Jiangxin, she had already agreed with her friends beforehand, and it wouldn’t be nice to break the appointment. And Xiang Di was also quite looking forward to this Sunday’s buffet.

She wanted both fish and bear’s paw, so she tried to negotiate with Bai Jiangxin, “Then… how about I treat you next week?”

There wasn’t much change in Bai Jiangxin’s expression. His tone was very light. “Up to you.”

Xiang Di let out a sigh of relief. “Mm, mm, then it’s settled.”

She turned around and happily discussed Sunday’s buffet feast with Zhou Linxiao again. When Wang Sichen heard that someone was treating people to buffet on Sunday, he shamelessly leaned over and asked if he could be added as well.

Zhou Linxiao was very straightforward. “Sure, the more the merrier.”

Xiang Di warned, “Hey, that day you’re not allowed to casually take food from other people’s plates.”

“Got it, grandaunt.” Wang Sichen’s tone was helpless. “So young and already holding grudges. How many years are you going to remember me for over one cream puff?”

That’s because the one you ate was the cream puff I originally planned to give to Bai Jiangxin. Holding a grudge against you for a lifetime wouldn’t even be excessive, okay?

Xiang Di subconsciously looked toward Bai Jiangxin, but discovered that he had already gone out.

The few people in the classroom were still discussing. Ye Minjia originally wanted to join them too, but he couldn’t just leave Bai Jiangxin alone, so he still chased after him.

“Hey.” Ye Minjia chased after Bai Jiangxin downstairs, pressed on his shoulder, and spoke in a tone of god’s-eye view where everything had been seen through. “At this point already, just confess to your brother.”

He was also feeling smug inside: 【Just you and Xiang Di’s little mess, do you think you’re hiding it well? Hmph, I guessed it long ago.】

Bai Jiangxin stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at him. “What did you say?”

Already finding excuses to create opportunities for out-of-school dates, and he still wouldn’t admit it? Ye Minjia withdrew his hand. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Bai Jiangxin’s tone sank. “How much do you know about my situation with Xiang Di?”

He actually got tricked into revealing it. Ye Minjia opened his mouth wide in shock. “Holy crap, so you two really do have something going on?”

Bai Jiangxin, being extremely sharp, immediately frowned. “You tricked me?”

“Not exactly tricked.” Ye Minjia gave a dry laugh. “Mainly because earlier, in front of all of us, you openly asked Xiang Di to treat you to a meal. That was way too obvious, okay? You’ve always refused to eat with people before, because don’t you have a cleanliness obsession? You’re most resistant to sharing tableware with others.”

Bai Jiangxin pressed his lips together and said lightly, “Xiang Di is different.”

Oh wow, everyone else is the same, only she is different. Everyone else’s saliva is disgusting, only Xiang Di’s saliva is fragrant.

Having his teeth soured by that sentence, Ye Minjia sneered inwardly.

For Bai Jiangxin, with his cleanliness obsession, to not even care about tableware anymore — just how many times have they secretly kissed, how many times have they bitten each other’s tongues, how many times have they exchanged saliva with each other?

Images of the two of them doing that kind of thing suddenly flashed through his mind, and Ye Minjia shuddered all over.

It wasn’t that the two of them were incompatible. After all, one was cold and aloof, the other pure and petite. Standing together, they actually matched quite well, and they even had the cutest height difference. But it was just… it felt so awkward.

The last time Ye Minjia had this feeling was in middle school, when his Chinese teacher and math teacher actually got married, and later the Chinese teacher even got pregnant. Every time he thought about how the Chinese teacher got pregnant, he couldn’t look at those two teachers directly.

People who, in his eyes, could never be paired together, were actually in that kind of relationship, and in private who knows, besides kissing, they might have even done more intimate things.

Xiang Di’s side was still okay, but Ye Minjia truly couldn’t imagine what Bai Jiangxin would look like kissing and being clingy with someone.

He had always thought that Bai Jiangxin must have been a high monk reincarnated in his previous life, and that this life would just be like this too. Who would have thought that this person actually had seven emotions and six desires.

Just thinking about this person privately revealing a beastly, lustful side in front of a girlfriend made him feel unable to accept it.

Right now it was obviously Xiang Di who was slow as hell, completely unable to see that Bai Jiangxin’s objective was never that meal, but rather the her who would be paying for that meal.

The moment Xiang Di suggested treating him next week instead, Bai Jiangxin’s attitude immediately cooled down, yet she didn’t sense anything at all.

Ye Minjia thought that Xiang Di still didn’t understand Bai Jiangxin well enough.

People like Bai Jiangxin — either they don’t care about anyone or anything at all, but once he starts caring about something, it means he’s latched onto it.

This level of possessiveness is fine for friends and family, since friendship and kinship don’t require exclusivity. But love is different. Selfishness, dominance, and insecurity are the norm. One could imagine how domineering of a boyfriend Bai Jiangxin would be in private.

No wonder Xiang Di dumped him. She must have already been unable to stand him.

Ye Minjia frowned and thought for a long time, when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm.

Ye Minjia: “What are you doing?”

Bai Jiangxin: “Nothing. You continue spacing out.”

Bai Jiangxin originally had no interest in Ye Minjia’s inner thoughts, but he subconsciously felt that Ye Minjia had probably been thinking about him and Xiang Di just now.

About him and Xiang Di — even Xiang Di herself didn’t know, so how much could Ye Minjia possibly know?

If he did know, then how did he know?

Bai Jiangxin grabbed his arm a little too late. He only heard one sentence: “No choice, who told me I’m on my bro’s side, so sorry about that, Xiang Di, I can only send you back into the tiger’s mouth again.”

“Stop tugging and pulling me. Don’t you know your grip strength is strong? Last time you even grabbed my wrist so hard it turned red.” Ye Minjia shook off Bai Jiangxin, then simply suggested, “Hey, how about you come with us to eat buffet this week? Buffet uses separate tableware for everyone, it’s very safe.”

Bai Jiangxin frowned. “Not going.”

Even if it was a safe buffet, there would be too many people. He didn’t want to go. And it was Zhou Linxiao treating, that made him even less willing.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain. He and Zhou Linxiao didn’t get along. He only wanted to eat a meal alone with Xiang Di.

Bai Jiangxin knew very clearly what method could create a connection with Xiang Di the fastest. During this period, he had basically figured out the pattern. He could find excuses to hug her, even kiss her.

But he didn’t want to do that. Even if she might not reject him because of it, he still didn’t want to.

A person who had long been upright and proper — even if irreversible changes had already arisen deep in his heart, his breathing and heartbeat were still restrained. He couldn’t let go of his proud foundation. Since he had already taken the first step of peeking, Bai Jiangxin could not allow himself to go further and do even more improper things.

Seeing how decisively Bai Jiangxin refused, Ye Minjia thought, bro, you really can hold yourself back.

So he said, “Let me tell you, Zhou Linxiao originally only planned to treat Xiang Di alone. It was me and Liang Qianqian who shamelessly begged to go, and only then did he reluctantly agree to let us tag along.”

“Don’t tell me Zhou Linxiao also has feelings for Xiang Di?”

Bai Jiangxin’s brow twitched.

Under Ye Minjia’s probing gaze, his voice suddenly turned cold and irritable: “Don’t know. Don’t ask me.”

After saying that, Bai Jiangxin went straight downstairs.

Ye Minjia shouted from behind, “So are you going to Sunday’s buffet or not?”

Without even turning his head, Bai Jiangxin said, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Ye Minjia shrugged.

Didn’t directly say he wouldn’t go, that means he’s going.

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

To make it easier to meet up on Sunday, Ye Minjia directly pulled everyone into a group chat.

Because she had skipped an entire afternoon of classes, the whole evening self-study, Xiang Di was rushing through several test papers that had been handed out in the afternoon. Only after dragging her exhausted body home did she see that she had been added to a new group.

The group name was simple and brutal: “Buffet Feast.” There were six people.

Six people?

She looked carefully again and discovered that Bai Jiangxin was actually in the group.

Xiang Di immediately sat up.

Holding an excited heart, Xiang Di privately messaged him: 【Are you there? Big Boss, are you going too the day after tomorrow?】

Bai Jiangxin: 【Mm.】

Xiang Di was happy on one hand, but on the other hand she was a little worried. If they all went to eat buffet together this week, then when she treated him to another meal next week, would he feel a sense of disparity?

No, please. Even if she couldn’t treat him to some big fancy meal, it was still her heartfelt intention.

Xiang Di: 【…Then if we eat buffet this week, do I still need to treat you to a meal next week?】

Xiang Di: 【I don’t have much allowance, I might not be able to treat you to a big meal.】

Xiang Di: 【leaving behind the tears of poverty.jpg】

After sending the messages, she locked her phone and waited nervously for Bai Jiangxin’s reply.

Please, please don’t say it’s not necessary.

Very soon, the screen lit up. Bai Jiangxin replied. Xiang Di nervously picked up her phone.

Bai Jiangxin: 【Don’t think about backing out on the debt.】

The declarative sentence looked like a kind of warning, but Xiang Di slowly broke into a grin at this warning.

That meant she could see him for two consecutive weekends.

After calming down for half a minute, she replied: 【Not backing out, not backing out!】

Xiang Di happily flopped down, hugging her phone and rolling excitedly on the bed several times.

After her heartbeat settled a little, she jumped off the bed again and went to the wardrobe to start picking clothes.

Until Xiang Sheng came over to check on her and discovered that she still wasn’t asleep, with a huge mess on the bed, all kinds of clothes everywhere.